Autonomy Need Dissatisfaction in Daily Life and Problematic Mobile Phone Use: The Mediating Roles of Boredom Proneness and Mobile Phone Gaming

Absolute and relative preferences for mobile phone internet content, mobile phone dependence, and depressive symptoms: a study of Chinese university students in the post-pandemic era

Background

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese university students may have increased mobile phone dependence, a habitual behavior in the student population and a risk factor for depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study explored the association between mobile phone dependence and depressive symptoms in Chinese university students in the post-pandemic era. It also investigated the effects of different types and categories of mobile phone Internet content preferences. In particular, this study examined whether mobile phone dependence mediates the relationship between absolute preference (AP) for mobile phone Internet content and depressive symptoms, and whether relative preference (RP) for mobile phone Internet content moderates the association between mobile phone dependence and depressive symptoms.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of Chinese university students recruited through Credamo was conducted in February-March, 2023. Participants completed the Mobile Phone Internet Content Preference Questionnaire, Self-rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use, and Center for Epidemiological Survey, Depression Scale. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and analyses of mediation and moderation effects. The final sample comprised 1,602 students (709 males).

Results

We found a positive association between mobile phone dependence and depressive symptoms. The mediating role of mobile phone dependence between AP for mobile phone Internet content and depressive symptoms differed according to the type and category of content. Meanwhile, different types and categories of RP for mobile phone Internet content moderated the association between mobile phone dependence and depressive symptoms in opposite directions.

Conclusion

Our results highlight the interrelationships among mobile phone Internet content preferences, mobile phone dependence, and depressive symptoms in Chinese university students. For different types and categories of mobile phone Internet content preferences, we propose distinct preventive measures to alleviate students' depressive symptoms.

Life Events, Boredom Proneness and Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency: A Longitudinal Mediation Analysis Based on Latent Growth Modeling (LGM)

Purpose

Mobile phone addiction has motivated a widespread concern in recent years. From a developmental perspective, this study explored the predictive relations between life events, boredom proneness (BP), and mobile phone addiction tendency (MPAT) among undergraduate students. It also tested the longitudinal mediation of BP between life events and MPAT.

Methods

Five hundred and eighty-four undergraduate students completed the Mobile Phone Addiction Tendency Scale, the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, and the Boredom Proneness Scale-Short Form. A longitudinal mediation analysis based on latent growth modeling was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships among life events, BP and MPAT.

Results

Latent growth modeling (LGM) showed that the BP and MPAT of undergraduate students both increased linearly. A longitudinal model based on LGM showed that negative life events both directly and indirectly affected the initial level and the growth rate of the MPAT through the mediating effect of the initial level of BP.

Conclusion

These results reveal that negative life events are an indicator of the development of MPAT. It has practical implications for calling for adopting health coping styles when facing negative life events. Supported for reducing college students' boredom proneness in order to lessen the tendency towards mobile phone addiction to improve their mental health.

Boredom Proneness and Online Deviant Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Rumination and the Moderating Role of Gender

Online deviant behaviors have received increasing attention. This study examined the association between boredom proneness and online deviant behaviors as well as the mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of gender in the relationship. A sample of 1001 college students (Mage = 20.20 ± 1.52 years, 50.25% female) was recruited to complete a set of questionnaires assessing the main variables. The results show that boredom proneness was positively associated with online deviant behaviors and that rumination played a mediating role in this relationship. Moreover, gender differences were found in the relationship, which was stronger for males than females. Despite several limitations, this study deepens our understanding of the influencing mechanism of boredom proneness on online deviant behaviors, which could provide practical implications for the prevention and intervention of online deviant behaviors.

Parent-adolescent relationships, peer relationships, and adolescent mobile phone addiction: The mediating role of psychological needs satisfaction

INTRODUCTION

Prior studies have shown that parent-adolescent relationships and peer relationships may be important factors associated with adolescent mobile phone addiction (MPA). The present study aims to further explore the direct effects of parent-adolescent and peer relationships on adolescent MPA as well as the indirect effects through the mediating roles of autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs satisfaction.

METHODS

Our sample consisted of 1766 Chinese adolescents (53.10% male; M_age = 13.33, SD = 1.94, range from 10 to 18 years) who completed questionnaires regarding parent-adolescent relationships, peer relationships, psychological needs satisfaction, and MPA. SPSS 24.0 was used to analyze correlations among variables and Mplus 7.4 was used to test the structural equation model in this study.

RESULTS

(1) positive parent-adolescent relationships were negatively associated with adolescent MPA, while peer relationships did not show a significant association with MPA; (2) autonomy and competence needs satisfaction significantly mediated the effects of parent-adolescent and peer relationships on MPA, while the mediating role of relatedness need satisfaction between parent-adolescent and peer relationships and MPA was not significant; (3) the mediating effect of competence need satisfaction between peer relationships and MPA was significantly stronger than that between parent-adolescent relationships and MPA.

CONCLUSIONS

This study explored the different mechanisms by which parent-adolescent and peer relationships influence adolescent MPA. These discoveries may contribute to intervention and prevention programs for adolescent MPA.

Boredom and problematic Facebook use in adolescents: What is the relationship considering trait or state boredom?

Boredom is an unpleasant experience caused by the lack of being engaged in satisfying activities. It can be caused by external circumstances (state boredom, SB) or by individual determinants (trait boredom, TB). Although several studies have attested the impact of boredom on adolescents' risk-taking behaviours, the relationships between boredom and problematic Facebook use (PFU), which has grown exponentially among adolescents, have not been deeply analysed to date. This study aimed at exploring a possible mechanism through which TB, PFU, and SB are related. We hypothesised and tested the mediating role of PFU in the relationship between TB and SB. Participants were 204 Italian adolescents (57% male, M_age = 17.13, SD = 1.61). Analyses showed a significant positive indirect effect of TB on SB through PFU that acted as a mediator. Specifically, individual sensitivity to boredom may enhance the likelihood that teenagers employ Facebook excessively and in addictive way; in turn, PFU may enhance adolescents' situational experience of boredom. Although preliminary, findings indicate the need to further investigate the relationship between TB, PFU, and SB in youth.

Exploring Stress and Problematic Use of Short-Form Video Applications among Middle-Aged Chinese Adults: The Mediating Roles of Duration of Use and Flow Experience

The pervasiveness of smartphones and the popularity of short-form video applications (SVAs), such as TikTok, among middle-aged Chinese adults have raised concerns about problematic SVAs use. Although a plethora of research has examined problematic smartphone use among teenagers and young adults, scarce attention has been paid to the middle-aged group. This study integrates the psychopathological approach and the compensatory use approach to explicate problematic SVAs use among middle-aged Chinese adults. We aim to examine the relationship between stress and problematic SVAs use via the mediating roles of duration of use and flow experience. A total of 194 middle-aged adults from across the nation participated in an online survey. The results showed that stress was positively associated with problematic SVAs use. We also found that duration of use positively mediated the relationship between stress and problematic SVAs use. Furthermore, a serial mediation effect of duration of use and flow experience was found. The findings suggest that the aforementioned two approaches are complementary to each other in explicating problematic SVAs use, but the compensatory use approach explains more than the psychopathological approach does. Flow experience extends the original compensatory use approach and demonstrates the importance of incorporating techno-psychological predictors in understanding problematic SVAs use.

Longitudinal Effects of Stressful Life Events on Problematic Smartphone Use and the Mediating Roles of Mental Health Problems in Chinese Undergraduate Students

Background and Aims: This three-wave longitudinal study investigated the effects of stressful life events on problematic smartphone use and the mediating roles of mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) in Chinese undergraduate students. Methods: A total of 197 undergraduate students completed the three-wave surveys. Their severity of stressful life events, mental health problems, and problematic smartphone use were assessed. Results: Regression analyses revealed that stressful life events at T1 was significantly associated with problematic smartphone use at T3. Mediation analyses showed that mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) at T2 fully mediated the association between stressful life events at T1 and problematic smartphone use at T3 (B = 0.042, 0.034, and 0.022, respectively). Conclusions: The present study revealed that stressful life events and mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) are predictors of problematic smartphone use in Chinese college students.

Anxiety sensitivity mediates relations between anxiety (but not depression) and problematic smartphone use severity, adjusting for age and sex, in Chinese adolescents early in the COVID-19 pandemic

Risk factors for problematic smartphone use (PSU) have rapidly become an important area of research due to the prevalence of smartphones and functional impairment associated with PSU. Our aim was to examine relations between established predictors of PSU (depression and anxiety) and a potential mediator of PSU (anxiety sensitivity; AS). Participants (N = 4752) from junior and senior high schools in Tianjin, China completed a web‐based survey with measures of depression, anxiety, AS, and PSU. Descriptive and inferential analyses revealed significant differences between males and females on depression severity, and between junior and senior high school students on AS and PSU severity. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that anxiety was positively associated with AS when adjusting for depression; and AS was significantly associated with greater PSU severity, adjusting for age and sex. Additionally, AS mediated relations between anxiety and PSU severity. Current findings on AS are consistent with theoretical models of problematic internet use (Interaction of Person‐Affect‐Cognition‐Execution) and previous research linking AS to other kinds of behavioral addictions (e.g., smoking, alcohol use).

Effects of Online Social Support and Perceived Social Support on the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Problematic Smartphone Usage Among Chinese Undergraduates

PURPOSE

Recent research has identified a relationship between perceived stress and problematic smartphone usage. However, little is known about the underlying mediating and moderating mechanisms. The present study aimed to test the relationship between perceived stress and problematic smartphone usage as well as the mediating role of online social support and the moderating role of perceived social support among Chinese undergraduates.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A sample of 1123 college students participated in the study. The Perceived Stress Scale, Mobile Phone Addiction Index Scale, Online Social Support Questionnaire, and Perceived Social Support Scale were used.

RESULTS

Perceived stress was significantly and positively associated with problematic smartphone usage, and online social support partially mediated the relationship between perceived stress and problematic smartphone usage. Moderated mediation analysis suggested that perceived social support moderated the association between perceived stress and online social support. This relationship became stronger for college students with lower levels of perceived social support.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study can contribute to a better understanding of how perceived stress increases the risk of problematic smartphone usage. The importance of reducing online social support and enhancing perceived social support in preventing undergraduates' problematic smartphone usage is highlighted. The findings should be taken with caution given the convenience sampling and cross-sectional study design.

Testing the METUX Model in Higher Education: Interface and Task Need-Satisfaction Predict Engagement, Learning, and Well-Being

The main aim of this study is to test the validity of the Motivation, Engagement, and Thriving in User Experience (METUX) model (Peters et al., 2018) in higher education. We propose a process model in which we investigate how the need-satisfaction of digital learning tools within the interface sphere and task sphere accounts for engagement, learning, and well-being. A total of 426 higher education students drawn from two subsamples participated in this cross-sectional study. A structural equation model shows that interface autonomy and competence satisfaction positively predict task autonomy and competence. Task competence, in turn, negatively predicts focused attention and positively predicts perceived usability and well-being. Task autonomy positively predicts perceived usability and reward. Based on our results, we provide some initial support for the METUX model in higher education. However, more validation work is needed to improve the scale that measures need-satisfaction in the interface and task spheres. Moreover, we find no support for the effect of task sphere on learning. Further investigations are needed into how METUX can be used in domain- and situation-specific contexts to account for increases in engagement, learning, and well-being. Finally, future studies need to include all aspects of the METUX model in order to fully test its validity.

Education for Sustainable Development: The Impact of the Values in Mobile Phone Addiction

The key competences for sustainable development, among which is digital competence, will not be achieved without the integration of values in education. The objective of this research was to identify and analyze the relationships between the values taught in schools and mobile addiction. The study design was predictive correlational. The sample consisted of 1453 students of primary and secondary education (61.3% women; 38.7% men). The findings have shown a significant correlation between the values taught in schools and mobile phone addiction. It is concluded that the greater the formation of values, the less the mobile addiction. These correlations are especially significant regarding social values such as solidarity, inclusion, and justice, and personal values such as enthusiasm, patience, impartiality, openness of ideas, honesty, and balance. Likewise, there are significant differences depending on the educational stage; the younger the age, the less the mobile addiction.

Emerging Health and Education Issues Related to Internet Technologies and Addictive Problems

This timely editorial paper outlines some of the main emerging research on technological topics on health and education approaches to Internet use-related problems before and during the beginning of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Background: The aim is to provide a brief overview to facilitate a rapid comprehensive and practical approach to these new trends to promote research, interventions, education, and prevention. Methods: The rapid review includes an analysis of both health and education technologies studies on Internet use-related addiction problems included in the Special Issue “Internet and Smartphone Use-Related Addiction Health Problems: Treatment, Education and Research” to extract recent findings and a few reflections about the development of the field before and during the first wave of the COVID-19. Results: Main findings highlighted studies which tended to be empirical, with a relational type associating specific addictive problems with individual and a few contextual factors in adult populations. Psychometric studies about scales are prevalent, but predictive and mixed methods ones are starting to emerge, together with reviews about conceptualisation, measure, treatment, and prevention. Conclusions: From the arrival of Internet, our societies have converged in a global culture which has impacted health and educational domains. Internet use-related addiction problems have globally emerged and common knowledge, advances, and strategies exist to overcome challenges which are starting to be tested, and prevention interest has arisen in a pandemic situation with global health problems holistically tackled.